Alyssa Farah Griffin is speaking for Republicans on The View, and she’s not afraid to admit her party is far behind on the times. After the Respect for Marriage Act passed in the Senate yesterday (Nov. 29), protecting both same-sex and interracial marriage, Griffin weighed in on the underwhelming GOP support for the bill, which only received 12 Republican votes.
Her co-host, Sunny Hostin, noted that “the majority of Americans believe in gay marriage and believe there should be marriage equality,” but reminded the panel that despite the Respect for Marriage Act being dubbed “a bipartisan bill,” only 12 Republicans were in favor.
Among the dissenters was Mitch McConnell, “who is in an interracial marriage,” as Hostin pointed out, adding, “That I think explains the entire Republican party. They are out of step with their base, but they think they’re in step with their base.”
Griffin agreed, telling Hostin she she thinks the party is “out of touch generationally.”
“It’s just good that this passed. It was the right thing,” Griffin continued. “I just wish that more Republicans had voted for it. The sentiment in the country has changed dramatically in favor of marriage equality, and I attribute it a lot to the culture showing what gay families look like … representation matters.”
Pointing to support from young Republicans in favor of marriage equality, Griffin said, “My party needs to come around and realize this is a very outdated perspective, and we were the pro-family party. If you were pro-family, then you have to support all different kinds of families.”
Noting her past as a “child of divorce,” Griffin was greeted with a round of applause from The View studio audience as she continued, “families look different.”
As for the 12 Republicans who voted in favor of the Respect for Marriage Act, Griffin said she thinks they viewed the legislation as “an equal protection under the law,” which was her own interpretation.
The View airs weekdays at 11/10c on ABC. Watch this morning’s segment in full in the video above.
